


195 - Dogsitting & Llandudno

by storiesaboutvan



Category: Catfish and the Bottlemen (Band)
Genre: Cute meet, F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 20:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17393258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesaboutvan/pseuds/storiesaboutvan
Summary: Filling the prompts “a fic about travelling to Llandudno by yourself and you take your dog and end up being lost and Vans visited his parents and sees that you look lost and he wants to see ya dog and you’re looking for the beach and he takes you there and end up staying with him for hours leading to whatever else etc.” and “the girl is dogsitting for a friend and walks the dog on a kinda dreary day so nobody else is really outside and of course van notices the dog, but before he can say anything, the girl starts kinda dancing and singing along to the music playing in her headphones because she assumes no one is around.” and “one in which the girl took her dog to the park and it plays with little Mary and that’s how she and Van meet?”





	195 - Dogsitting & Llandudno

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Van doesn’t live in Llandudno anymore. I don’t know if Mary and Bernie do. I don’t think so. We’re gonna pretend that they do, for the sake of this fic.

Llandudno was not the type of location you would have picked for a holiday. There were a couple of historical tourist type places, but none of them were even remotely of interest to you. It boasted the longest pier in Wales and you remembered something about a weird Victorian festival thing that had given you the creeps as a kid. Mostly, it was rainy weather and gossip and beach. But, you weren't really on holiday. You were housesitting for your uncle and aunty, and the only reason you'd agreed to do that was because they had dogs you'd get to look after too. Two border collies and you were absolutely in.

The brown and white one was named Noel and the black and white was Liam. Liam was more moody than Noel, so you'd always thought their names were mixed up as puppies. It wasn't until you were about sixteen that you even began to appreciate their names at all. Years later, walking them through the town on the way to a dog park, you took great joy in talking to them in Oasis lyrics. Liam kept pulling on his collar and glaring at you. 

"Don't look back in anger, friend!" you called to him and chuckled to yourself. Genius. You stopped on a corner and looked around. Wait. You were definitely not where you thought you were. Noel and Liam sat at your feet. "Huh," you started talking to them again. "What is the story, morning glory?" you asked them. "Where are we?"

You continued to trek down a road, listening to music as you went. Between the almost-jogging the dogs were forcing you into, and the undeniable tune of She's Casual, you couldn't help but dance. It was an alleyway more than a street, so nobody was around. Even if they were, you didn't much care. The dogs were barking but you were in a world of your own. You were the star, singing like the girls in the video. Lights! Camera! Collison! 

Headphones out and you started to apologise. 

"Oh my gosh. I'm so, so sorry! I was, uh," 

"Dancin'?" 

You looked up from where you were trying to detangle Noel and Liam's leads. Of all the people to walk straight into, you had to pick the most attractive person on the entire planet. Just your fucking luck.

"Sorry, what?" you asked when your brain reminded you that he had said something. 

"Dancing. That's what you were doing," 

"Oh... You saw... that..." 

"I did. Dead cute you are. So are these ones!" He crouched down to pat Noel and Liam. They both jumped up on him, licking his face. The guy laughed, but you tried to settle the dogs anyway. 

"Noel, down!" 

"Noel? Funny name for a dog," 

"Uh. Noel and Liam. My uncle's obsessed with Oasis," you explained. The guy looked up, grinning. 

"That's class that is. I just named my dog after my mum," he said with a shrug. 

"Like... as a compliment?" 

"Yeah. What else?" 

He continued to pat them, and only after a group of people walked past did he look around and realised a minute had gone by. He stood. 

"Sorry. Um. They're good dogs. I'm Van," he said with a hand out. 

"Y/N."

"Do you live here?" 

"Ah, no, yeah no. I'm house and dogsitting for my aunt and uncle. That is why I'm a little..." Your sentence started to trail off as you looked around for a sign or any indicator that you were close to the dog park. 

"Lost?" 

"Yeah. Do you know where the dog park is?" 

"Yep. You're close. If you go back the way you came, take a right instead of left, think there's some signs and stuff from there," he answered, pointing in the right direction.

"Fuck. I knew I was close. Thanks,"

"No problem. I was just getting this milk for ma," he said, pausing to shake the milk carton in his hand for show. "I was gonna grab Little Mary, so I might see you there?" It was a question, and his face told you he was definitely looking for an answer. "Step outside, the summertime's in bloom and all that," he added, despite the weather not being summery at all. 

You laughed and nodded. He didn't even know the game and he'd started to play. "That's a good one! Yeah. See you around, then,"

"Cool. I'll… yeah, see ya later," he replied, taking a step away from you. You nodded and headed off back down the alleyway.

…

Noel raced circles around the park continually. You didn't need to spend much time worrying about him; he'd keep himself occupied. Liam, however, was starting fights with all the other dogs. Maybe he didn't intend on them being fights, but the barking and nipping freaked the other puppers out. You ran over to where he was pushing along a little brown fluff ball of a thing.

"Liam! Get your shit together, mate. Leave him alone," you said, clipping his lead to his collar.

"Ain't Noel meant to be the bad one?" a familiar voice asked. Van walked over and picked up his fluff ball. "And this one is a girl. Mary meet, Y/N,"

"Hi, Mary," you greeted, patting her behind the ears.

"Didn't you have two before?"

You looked around. Where the fuck was Noel. "Jesus fucking… Hold this?" you asked, handing Liam's lead over.

When you located Noel, digging a tunnel under the fence and very close to a jailbreak, you lead him back over to Van.

"These dogs loved me a year ago. Now they're just… I don't know,"

"It's 'cause of the names. Your uncle should've known. Should 'ave named them Gandhi or something,"

"Gandhi was pretty racist and sexist, but I get what you mean. Anyway. Hi," you replied, finally settled and smiling.

"Hi. So, while you were over there I was thinking. Maybe you should take them to the beach? Weather's a bit miserable, so nobody will be down there. They can run around and stuff, you know what I mean? No other dogs. Except maybe Mary,” 

"Maybe Mary?"

"Yeah, well, figure you'll get lost on your way over, so we should be your guide," Van said.

Could you trust a stranger that walked to get his mother milk, and who had named his dog after her? A stranger that had stopped to pat dogs, and who had crooked teeth and freckled skin and messy hair and a sweater with more holes in it than Swiss cheese?

"Okay, yeah. This is stressing me out."

As you walked through the streets, being yanked along by Noel and Liam, Van swapped with you. You carried Mary in your arms, and let her cuddle into you. Van was stronger than you, although you didn't like to admit it. He controlled the dogs better than you could.

Van started to talk and talk, and you weren't sure if it was out of nervousness or if it was just how he was. He spoke with enthusiasm though, and all his stories were interesting. Even his description of a smoke in the kitchen with his best friend was a warm, hazy story that made you think of The Doors and the smell of burning wood.

Down a main strip, Van asked if you'd ever had coffee from the café up ahead. You waited out the front with the dogs while he got take aways. He was right. The coffee was rich and hot and creamy and all things good. It took the edge off the bitter cold in the air. Sitting on a piece of driftwood on the beach, you sipped it and watched Mary chase Noel and Liam around.

"She really holds her own," you said, impressed. Van laughed.

"Ain't a woman in my life that can't," he replied.

"So you live here, yeah?"

"Nah, not anymore. My parents do, so I'm visiting them while I'm back in the country,"

"Back in the country?"

"Yeah. Um, I'm in a band and we tour a lot so I don't get to see family much. Really rare that I'm ever here. Between tours and albums and stuff right now, so I thought I'd come home for a bit. Already bored,"

"Yeah… It's beautiful here, but there isn't much to do. I've mostly just been sleeping and overthinking things," you told him. He nodded like he understood what you meant. Liam crashed through the water, and Noel followed along behind. Mary sat at the edge of the waves, not wanting to get wet. If she could speak, you knew she'd be judging them.

"Where do you live then?" he asked. 

"Liverpool right now. I would love to live closer to London, but that's so fucking expensive. Maybe Manchester… I don't know. You?"

He paused, like he was deciding on an answer. How hard was it to know where you lived? "I'm kind of between places, I guess," he replied. That hard, then. "I got a place in Chester, but there's a place in L.A. that I'm thinking about maybe setting up at. I don't know,"

"You've got friends there?"

"Yeah. But I got them here too. My family is here… Mary too," he added, pointing to the little dog as she added to the collection of sticks she was bringing Van. He patted her each time she delivered another. "Been all around the world and I don't really know… like…"

"Where you belong?" you finished for him. He looked up with an expression that told you he thought people couldn't understand that. "I haven't been all around the world, but I don't know where I belong either,"

"Maybe we should both just move then. Come with me to L.A. Start a new life. We'll have a million dogs," Van said with a grin. There was a tone in his voice that said maybe it wasn't a joke though.

"I'm actually more of a cat person, just quietly," you replied in a whisper. He laughed.

You stood and climbed onto the drift wood, standing on its highest point. You reached up to the skies and twinkled your fingers. The air was dewy and if you closed your eyes the crashing waves drowned out all the other sounds, except the barking dogs.

"You're a bit strange, you know that?" Van said, his voice snapping your little peaceful moment. You looked down at him. "I mean!" he quickly continued. "Like, it's good. You don't really care what people think, huh? You just seem to-"

You jumped down from the wood and put your finger to lips in a signal for him to stop talking. He did. You narrowed your eyes at him, but smiled. He stayed sitting as you walked to the dogs.

"Come on, doggos, let's go!" you yelled at them, then ran down the beach and back, them barking and running behind and in front of you, overjoyed at the interaction. Mary ran circles around you. When you stopped to catch your breath, you looked over at Van. He was watching you with a wide grin on his face. "I'm gonna keep going! You coming or is she mine now?!" you yelled at him across the beach. He stood up and walked towards you. He didn't run, but he kept up enough as you played with the dogs, pushing Noel and Liam over and laughing as they jumped back up ready for more.

When you ran out of beach, hitting a wall of rock, you sat on a large slab of stone. The dogs all laid on the sand, exhausted. Van climbed up and sat next to you. His side was pressed against yours.

"I've decided that it's gotta mean something that we both came here at the same time, you know what I mean?" he said, looking out over the grey ocean. There was no clear horizon. The dark sea melted into the cloudy sky in an indistinguishable mess of cold colour and brilliant texture.

"Is that what you've decided? What does it mean then?" you asked, pulling your jacket tighter around you. The wind was picking up. Mary moved to cuddle into Noel. Liam seemed jealous.

"Means we have to be friends, or whatever,"

"Or whatever?" you inquired, looking over at him, holding in a grin. He smiled wide. You could have sworn there was a growing pink in the apples of his cheeks.

"Yeah. Or whatever."


End file.
